Tarantino said DuVernay 'deserved an Emmy' for her work on the acclaimed civil rights film

Selma director Ava DuVernay has responded to a seemingly provocative comment about her film by Quentin Tarantino.

The highly acclaimed civil rights drama was nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars, but DuVernay missed out on a nod in the Best Director category. Many industry insiders interpreted this as a “snub” and some even levelled accusations of racism at the organisation behind the Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Asked about the Selma controversy during a recent interview with the New York Times, Tarantino replied: “She did a really good job on Selma but Selma deserved an Emmy.”

Despite suggesting that DuVernay’s film was more suited to a TV award than the biggest prize in cinema, Tarantino later admitted that he had never actually seen Selma. However, DuVernay has now insisted that she took no offence from what appears to be a slight from her fellow director.

“I was surprised by how surprised everyone was. When you look at his work and his persona, there’s nothing surprising about what he said,” DuVernay told The Hollywood Reporter. “But it didn’t bother me like so many assumed it would.”

DuVernay is now working on a US drama series called Queen Sugar which she has co-created with Oprah Winfrey. Tarantino’s latest film The Hateful Eight opens in UK cinemas on January 8. Watch the latest trailer here.